I've never bought an OS before. I put a PC that came with an XP disk some time ago & I've used this ever since on my subsequent builds without problems. But last year we bought MS Office student 2007 for my wife's laptop. 6 months latr the HD failed & I had to replace & re-install everything. This took a second of the three licenses that came with the software. I've installed & registered the 3rd license on my own PC. Now the laptop has gone wrong again. I'm not sure what it is but I'm thinking I may have to re-install everything again, except I've run out of licenses for Office 2007. So do I have to buy it again? If so will the same be true of Windows 7? If I build a new machine or replace the HD will I have to buy it again?!
Should I buy Windows 7?
- Thread starter Dogboy73
- Start date
The Office 2007 licenses for Home/Student allow you to install the product onto three machines.
None of these machines are allowed to use the software for commercial use - so no home working etc.
For transferring the licenses they are classed as "Retail" which means that you can move the installation from one machine to another.
Also MS licenses allow for HD failures and OS reinstallations.
So as long as your copy isn't currently installed on 3 seperate machines then you can install it again without too much hassle.
At worst it won't let you activate it online and you'll need to phone MS up.
As for OS purchases.
Yes you should buy Windows 7.
Mainly because at the moment you are license illegal.
You are illegally using Windows XP on your machine - OEM versions cannot be transferred from one machine to another.
So your WinXP license was tied to the PC it was initially installed on.
So yes you should buy Win7 once it's released to get yourself license legal.
None of these machines are allowed to use the software for commercial use - so no home working etc.
For transferring the licenses they are classed as "Retail" which means that you can move the installation from one machine to another.
Also MS licenses allow for HD failures and OS reinstallations.
So as long as your copy isn't currently installed on 3 seperate machines then you can install it again without too much hassle.
At worst it won't let you activate it online and you'll need to phone MS up.
As for OS purchases.
Yes you should buy Windows 7.
Mainly because at the moment you are license illegal.
You are illegally using Windows XP on your machine - OEM versions cannot be transferred from one machine to another.
So your WinXP license was tied to the PC it was initially installed on.
So yes you should buy Win7 once it's released to get yourself license legal.
Excellent reply, stoofa. Very intersting. Thanks for that. I'm going to buy Windows 7 Home edition when it comes out (providing it's not full of problems like the usual early Windows versions). Under 7 will I be able to put more than 3GB of RAM in my machine? I like the idea of at least 4GB. Maybe 6GB?
One thing though, When I phoned MS to activate MS office after installing it on the new HD in my wife's laptop they told me that I had used up another license. From what you are saying I gather I should be able to have it on 3 machines at once even if I have removed it from one (say an old machine) & installed on another (a new, replacement machine).
One thing though, When I phoned MS to activate MS office after installing it on the new HD in my wife's laptop they told me that I had used up another license. From what you are saying I gather I should be able to have it on 3 machines at once even if I have removed it from one (say an old machine) & installed on another (a new, replacement machine).
MS work a lot on trust.
As I said in my previous reply, an OEM OS license is tied to the motherboard that it was first installed on.
Whenever I mention this almost certainly half a dozen people will join in and tell us how they moved their OEM copy from one machine to another and it "activated online fine" or "I phoned up MS and it was OK".
MS allow a certain number of online activations before requiring you to call up.
For an OS I believe this count is 3.
So yes, I could take an OEM copy of an OS and install it on my new PC.
However you'd be no more legal than somebody who had simply downloaded their OS from a torrent.
If you are required to phone up and you tell the person "Yer my HD failed" then of course they will activate the OS again - there has to be a level of trust.
It's just many people abuse that - know full well what they are doing is license illegal but just do it....
When you called MS up to activate Office they will (in theory) have been able to see just how many activations you'd done.
As long as it is only on say 2 machines at the moment, then you can install it on your new machine.
When calling up to activate (if it won't work online) simply tell them the truth - you've totally removed it from your old machine and it's now on your new machine.
They will have you activated in a few minutes.
As I said in my previous reply, an OEM OS license is tied to the motherboard that it was first installed on.
Whenever I mention this almost certainly half a dozen people will join in and tell us how they moved their OEM copy from one machine to another and it "activated online fine" or "I phoned up MS and it was OK".
MS allow a certain number of online activations before requiring you to call up.
For an OS I believe this count is 3.
So yes, I could take an OEM copy of an OS and install it on my new PC.
However you'd be no more legal than somebody who had simply downloaded their OS from a torrent.
If you are required to phone up and you tell the person "Yer my HD failed" then of course they will activate the OS again - there has to be a level of trust.
It's just many people abuse that - know full well what they are doing is license illegal but just do it....
When you called MS up to activate Office they will (in theory) have been able to see just how many activations you'd done.
As long as it is only on say 2 machines at the moment, then you can install it on your new machine.
When calling up to activate (if it won't work online) simply tell them the truth - you've totally removed it from your old machine and it's now on your new machine.
They will have you activated in a few minutes.
Windows 7 is an evolution on Vista, I am hoping that compatibility issues will be minimal...
As for memory: larger amounts of memory are only enabled on the 64-bit versions of Windows. I believe that Vista will come with both versions on the disc as standard though.
Man of Honour
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I heard that apparently this gets reset every 12 months or so. Has anyone else on here heard that? Just interested really.
As for buying Windows 7, yes you should
Never heard that, but never had any hassle activating it over the phone. Normally the automated response activates it without issues, even our Action Pack licenses which are installed quite a few PCs and getting constantly wiped
I was worried about the 3 Licences of Office2007 H&S, as I've had to re-install my Laptop twice.
First time with a copy of Vista from Technet when we all had access, But MS wouldn't let me activate it (this was after I'd re-installed Office which had Activated!.. D'Oh).
Second when I re-installed Vista using the HP Restore Discs (which I didn't want to do as they're full of HP crap!).. so I've used 3 Activations!!... hopefully when (not if) I need to re-install MS will let me!!...
AAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!... Runs from thread before itchy 'Buy' finger costs me £65 I can't afford!!..
First time with a copy of Vista from Technet when we all had access, But MS wouldn't let me activate it (this was after I'd re-installed Office which had Activated!.. D'Oh).
Second when I re-installed Vista using the HP Restore Discs (which I didn't want to do as they're full of HP crap!).. so I've used 3 Activations!!... hopefully when (not if) I need to re-install MS will let me!!...
AAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!... Runs from thread before itchy 'Buy' finger costs me £65 I can't afford!!..
Dogboy73,
If you are planning on purchasing Windows 7 when it is released it may be helpful to know you don't have to wait until October to reserve your copy of Win 7! You can pre-order your copy of Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional today. For more information, see the Windows 7 Pre-Order offer page here: http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/buy/offers/pre-order-ended.aspx
Also, another method of acquiring Windows 7 (early at that!) is through an MSDN Plus / TechNet Plus subscription. If you have a TechNet Plus or MSDN Plus subscription you have access to download Windows 7 RTM and receive 10 product activation keys. To learn more about a TechNet plus subscription, please go here: http://edge.technet.com/Media/TechNet-Plus-Subscription--Steve-Rose/
Jessica
Microsoft Windows Client Team
If you are planning on purchasing Windows 7 when it is released it may be helpful to know you don't have to wait until October to reserve your copy of Win 7! You can pre-order your copy of Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional today. For more information, see the Windows 7 Pre-Order offer page here: http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/buy/offers/pre-order-ended.aspx
Also, another method of acquiring Windows 7 (early at that!) is through an MSDN Plus / TechNet Plus subscription. If you have a TechNet Plus or MSDN Plus subscription you have access to download Windows 7 RTM and receive 10 product activation keys. To learn more about a TechNet plus subscription, please go here: http://edge.technet.com/Media/TechNet-Plus-Subscription--Steve-Rose/
Jessica
Microsoft Windows Client Team
We're having a massive network upgrade done in work at the moment (switching to an Intel blade server running virtual servers & App V. Very cool). The guy that is doing the upgrade is running Windows 7 on his laptop. He thinks it's excellent & has found it to be very reliable & robust. This guy really knows his stuff as well so it sounds like very high praise to me. It certainly looks the part. I think it's easily MS's best looking OS. Windows 7 Home edition here I come it looks like ...... along with a possible hardware upgrade
Vista? You mean Windows 7, right?
Still not sure about Windows 7. I guess I just don't trust Microsoft to open a can of beans! No matter how much good stuff I hear about Windows a little voice rin my head is saying, 'XP works perfectly fine. You don't need Windows 7 & remember the debacle that was Vista'. Guess I'll stick with XP for as long as humanly possible.
Soldato
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You don't trust them yet you're willing to stick to an older OS?
Even my beta RC runs basically flawlessly. W7 is stupidly nice to use, it's not "massively improved" over vista in terms of features, but I really don't get why people want to stick to XP.
It's older, less secure and less feature rich. There are some instances being on XP is a better choice, but if you have a more modern system then W7 is the better solution.
It's the lesser of 2 evils. It's tried a tested so why move on unless you absolutely have to?!
For the reason I've just given above.
I'm not convinced. The usual advice, where any new MS operating system is concerned, is wait a while to see how things work out before making a decission. I don't see any reason to change that logic now. Why should I? Because 7 is an ironed out Vista?! Fills me with confidence that does!!
Maybe I'll buy now & install in a years time. That's what I do with games & kit. When the latest, greatest, resource hungry game comes out I wait a year before buying it. By this time any problems are ironed out with updates & the gfx card technology to run it at full pelt is half the price it was when the game came out! Live your computer life a year behind the times & save a small fortune
Maybe I'll buy now & install in a years time. That's what I do with games & kit. When the latest, greatest, resource hungry game comes out I wait a year before buying it. By this time any problems are ironed out with updates & the gfx card technology to run it at full pelt is half the price it was when the game came out! Live your computer life a year behind the times & save a small fortune
The problem with that is games and hardware decrease in price as they age, were Windows 7 is increasing in price. If you pre-ordered it around July you could have got it between £40-45 for Home Premium. It's now going for around £80+, and as mentioned it will increase further in 2010.
Soldato
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- Thessaloniki
why will it increase in 2010?
I guess MS had to sell it for that price to get people on board after the debacle that was Vista. It's still cheap for the Home Edition as it is now.